SEATTLE, Jan. 4, 2014 —Boeing [NYSE: BA] has flown the 787-9 Dreamliner to Auckland, home of launch customer Air New Zealand, marking the 787-9's international debut and longest flight since the robust test program began.
The second of three 787-9s dedicated to the flight-test program, ZB002 flew direct from Seattle's Boeing Field to Auckland International Airport, departing January 3 at 9:55 a.m. local time and landing (shown here) some 13 hours, 49 minutes later. The airplane is scheduled to continue on to Alice Springs, Australia, for testing in hot weather.

SEATTLE, Jan. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) has flown the 787-9 Dreamliner to Auckland, home of launch customer Air New Zealand, marking the 787-9's international debut and longest flight since the robust test program began.

The second of three 787-9s dedicated to the flight-test program, ZB002 flew direct from Seattle's Boeing Field to Auckland International Airport, departing January 3 at 9:55 a.m. local time and landing (shown here) some 13 hours, 49 minutes later. The airplane is scheduled to continue on to Alice Springs, Australia, for testing in hot weather.

The 787-9 will complement and extend the super-efficient 787 family. With the fuselage stretched by 20 feet (6 meters) over the 787-8, the 787-9 will fly up to 40 more passengers an additional 300 nautical miles (555 km) with the same exceptional environmental performance — 20 percent less fuel use and 20 percent fewer emissions than similarly sized aircraft. The 787-9 leverages the visionary design of the 787-8, offering passengers features such as large windows, large stow bins, modern LED lighting, higher humidity, a lower cabin altitude, cleaner air and a smoother ride.

Boeing is on track to deliver the 787-9 to launch customer Air New Zealand in mid-2014. Twenty-six customers from around the world have ordered 402 787-9s, accounting for 39 percent of all 787 orders.